Have to admit, I've been quite critical ever since the mp reveal which read like a new call of duty game. However, the fact they are adding skill ranks is amazing and shows that 343i really do care about their competitive players and really want to make this game enjoyable for EVERYONE including hardcore players. Really excited for this game now.
It's better this way though. You can pick the exact game type you want now. I mean it got annoying playing assault 20 times in a row on the same exact map.